Monday, April 05, 2010

Polymer Banknotes

I've never held a polymer banknote in my hands (Is this is subtle plea for a cash donation? Yeah, sure. Why not? But what would I do with foreign currency anyway but show it off.) but they are becoming more popular. Canada (home of the "Loonie") is next up for the change. Living only a few hundred miles from the "Great White North", I might be able to snag one next year. Everyone in Minnesota has a jar full of Canadian coins that we're stuck with - stores won't accept them (but they'll gladly provide them to you as change) - ditto for vending machines.

The World Polymer Notes blog is a good site cataloging everything that has been made to date. Usage of polymers as the base for the notes has an unusual geographic distribution, mostly below the Tropic of Cancer.

2 comments:

Trevor J. Murphy said...

One company that makes polymer notes is called Fortress Paper. If anyone's interested in learning more about those kind of banknotes, visit their blog at www.globalpapersecurity.com

John said...

Quite a few years ago, my family were in Washington D.C. and toured the Bureau of Engraving. I was greatly disappointed, as it was nothing more than a printing press. Well secured, of course, but that was it. It smelled just like the local shops I've been in and the equipment was the same.